Apology on Arabul intrusion

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The Higher Secondary council president on Wednesday cited a purported apology from the centre-in-charge of a Bhangar school to suggest a probe may no longer be required into allegations that Trinamul leader Arabul Islam had stormed the venue during an examination

“In her letter, (centre-in-charge Gopa) Roy has said the HS exam at her centre was going on peacefully on that day and she was sorry for the disturbance caused by the incident,” said council president Mahua Das. “It was Roy who had complained about the intrusion. We did not ask for her apology. Now that she has apologised on her own, we will have to rethink on whether an inquiry is necessary or not.”

Das said a meeting would be called after the HS exams end on March 28 to decide on the inquiry.

On Friday, Roy had alleged that Arabul had entered classrooms at Narayanpur High School while the English exam was on and told the examinees that the invigilators would help them. “When I asked him how he could enter the centre, Arabul Islam verbally abused and threatened me,” Roy had said.

Roy was not available for comment on Wednesday. Council president Das did not clarify whether Roy had withdrawn her allegations. But a council source said: “We are treating Roy’s letter as a statement withdrawing her allegation.”

Arabul, the president of the Trinamul-run Bhangar Panchayat Samiti, had denied the charges.

Even in the council, many suspect Roy was forced to apologise. Das and other senior council members members had tried to put the blame on Roy for the intrusion and underlined what happened in an exam venue was ultimately the responsibility of the centre-in-charge.